This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
There has long been a need for joining a fluid-communicating assembly that has a valve member in a manner that fixedly and sealingly couples the components to one another. One common application accomplishes such a coupling via a threaded nut-and-bolt connector assembly.
Such threaded nut-and-bolt connector assemblies have several drawbacks. First, the nut-and-bolt assembly is prone to leaking. For instance, the nut and bolt may cross threads, wherein a space may result in the connection allowing for liquid or gas to escape the nut-and-bolt assembly. Nut-and-bolt assemblies may also loosen due to their innate torque sensitivities. For instance, nut-and-bolt assemblies may be loosened by periodic or continuous vibration of the apparatuses being connected. In certain aspects, threaded nut-and-bolt assemblies may require at least three machining operations, which increases the cost of such connector assemblies.
The present disclosure provides a valve including a transverse slot to accommodate a generally U-shaped spring clip, wherein the slot is formed on a face of the valve housing that extends beyond a valve outlet. A supply tube for gas flow is also provided, in which the supply tube includes a raised or beaded portion near an end of the tube. A spacing element is disposed between the raised or beaded portion and the end of the tube. The valve housing includes an inlet passage, through which the supply tube is inserted. The provided spring clip has tangs. The spring clip is accommodated in the transverse slot and the tangs are engaged to secure the spring clip in the transverse slot.
It is contemplated that a connector made according to the teachings of the present disclosure will cost less to make than common nut-and-bolt assemblies. In certain embodiments, for example, it is contemplated that one of the machined parts, i.e., a nut, will be eliminated and replaced with a cheaper stamped part, i.e., a spring clip. In addition, the threaded inlet portion of the valve housing is replaced with an inlet configuration and slot feature that requires fewer manufacturing operations. Thus, the cost to make a quick-connect assembly according to the present disclosure may be approximately half that of a typical nut-and-bolt assembly. Moreover, as no nut-and-bolt assembly is contemplated according to the present disclosure, leak potentials, such as due to cross threading and torque sensitivities, are not present with a quick-connect assembly made according to the present disclosure.
According to another embodiment formed in accordance with the present disclosure, there is provided a method of securing a valve housing to a tube for transmittal of gas, fluid, or the like, said method including:                (i) providing on the valve housing an inlet port with an inlet passage for inserting a fluid line and a transverse slot for inserting a spring clip, wherein the inlet port and transverse slot are on the same face of said valve housing;        (ii) providing a fluid supply line with a raised or beaded portion near an end of the fluid supply line and placing a spacing element around the near-the-end portion of said fluid supply line so said spacing element abuts the raised or beaded portion;        (iii) providing a substantially U-shaped spring clip with tangs;        (iv) inserting the end of the fluid supply line with the spacing element into the valve housing inlet passage such that the spacing element exerts a force on the fluid supply line and valve housing, thereby sealingly engaging the fluid supply line to the valve housing; and        (v) inserting the spring clip into either end of the transverse slot such that the tangs, and therefore the spring clip, are held in place by a retainer in the transverse slot, wherein the spring clip exerts a constant pressure on said raised or beaded portion, thereby creating a constant level of pressure on said spacing element wherein the spacing element sealingly engages the fluid supply line to the valve assembly.        
Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the disclosure, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.